Civil Rights Movement Facts & Worksheets For Kids | Teaching Resource (2024)

The civil rights movement was a worldwide series of political movements for equality before the law that peaked in the 1960s. The main aim of the movements for civil rights included ensuring that the rights of all people are equally protected by the law, including the rights of minorities and women’s rights.

See the fact file below for more information about the civil rights movement or download the entire premium worksheet pack to utilize within the home or classroom environment.

Key Facts & Information

Historical Background:

• Since the first slaves arrived from Africa in 1619, there was a tremendous need for the protection and enforcement of a person’s civil rights.
  In 1808, Congress banned the importation of slaves from Africa.
• In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring “that all persons held as slaves” within the Confederate states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Rise Of The Civil Rights Movement:

• On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, declared that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. It overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine of “separate but equal.”
• On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of the “colored section” of a bus to a white passenger.
• In response to her arrest, Montgomery’s black community launched a successful year-long bus boycott. It was led by Martin Luther King, Jr., and Montgomery’s buses were desegregated on Dec. 21, 1956. A series of movements followed starting in the mid-1950s until the late 1960s.
• By 1957, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights group, was established by Martin Luther King, Jr., Charles K. Steele, and Fred L. Shuttlesworth. Dr.
• King became its founding president. He encouraged all African Americans to exercise their civil rights.
• Later that year, the Civil Rights Act was passed, ensuring that all African Americans can exercise their right to vote. Despite this, the admission of nine black students at Little Rock Central High School was rejected by opposing white people. Known as the 1957 Little Nine Rock crisis, it was resolved by President Dwight Eisenhower when he enforced the integration.
• In 1961, black and white Freedom Riders started to ride buses to test whether there was integration.
• By 1964, civil activist Fannie Lou Hamer became one of the leaders of the Freedom Summer Campaign, which gathered as many African Americans in Mississippi to register and vote.
• On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is attended by about 250,000 people, the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital. Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The march built momentum for civil rights legislation.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Al. He wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which advocated non-violent civil disobedience.
• When Dr. King met with President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy urged Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill that prohibited segregation and discrimination based on race, nationality, or gender.
• On November 22, 1963, President JFK was assassinated during his motorcade in Dallas. The bill was not signed into law.
• During the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. It banned discrimination and segregation. Furthermore, the right of minorities to vote was stated.
• On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X, a former follower of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam in the United States, was assassinated after establishing the Organization of
  Afro-American Unity.
• The Organization of Afro-American Unity advocated that racism was the greatest enemy of African Americans. It was believed that members of the Nation of Islam shot Malcolm X dead.
• On March 7, 1965, the first Selma Freedom March was organized by John Lewis. The demonstration ended with violence and came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.”
• On August 6, 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. The law enabled the protection of African Americans’ right to vote and the prohibition of literacy tests in the process.
• Race riots occurred from 1965 until 1967. On August 11, 1965, the Watts Riots erupted in Los Angeles. It was followed by the Newark Riots and the Detroit Riots.
• In 1966, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther, which aimed to liberalized African-Americans through violent revolution.
• On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray at Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Violent riots broke out in many cities in the United States after his death.
• In November 2009, Barack Obama, an African-American Senator from Illinois, was elected as the 44th President of the United States.
• On February 2, 2009, Eric Holder was elected in a vote of 75 to 21 as the first African-American Attorney General of the United States.

Civil Rights MovementWorksheets

This bundle includes 12 ready-to-use Civil Rights Movement worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about themovement which was a worldwide series of political movements for equality before the law that peaked in the 1960s. The main aim of the movements for civil rights included ensuring that the rights of all people are equally protected by the law, including the rights of minorities and women’s rights.

Complete list of included worksheets

• Civil Rights Movement Facts
• Famous Civil Rights Activists
• CRM: Fill in the Facts
• Timeline for Equality
• Activist’s Notebook
• Lincoln and Kennedy
• Equality Acrostic
• MLK’s “I Have a Dream”
• Women in Black History
• Civil Rights Photo Vault
• Freedom Writer

What are 3 things about the Civil Rights Movement?

The Civil Rights Movement was a time when African Americans had to be very brave. They risked their lives to fight for justice. This led to important laws being passed that ended segregation, black voter suppression, and discriminatory employment and housing practices.

What started the Civil Rights Movement?

The American Civil Rights Movement started in the 1950s. People like Rosa Parks helped start it. In December 1955, Mrs. Parks said “no” when a white man asked her to give up her bus seat. This led to a city-wide boycott of public buses. Learning more about this moment in history can help us understand the fight for equality in America better.

Who ended the Civil Rights Movement?

The Civil Rights Movement started in 1954 with the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision and ended in 1965 when the government passed a law.

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Link will appear as - KidsKonnect, January 27, 2024